Persimmon Jam

How many of you native Oregonians have tasted persimmons? I don't remember ever eating a persimmon until shortly before I came to Japan. I immediately liked the taste, which is a good thing because they are very popular here. Farmers grow them to sell in supermarkets and fruit stands. People use them as ornamental trees in their yards or gardens. They grow wild in the country and even in cities. Suddenly, the season starts, and you see trees full of orange fruit everywhere you look. Then everyone (at least everyone who likes persimmons) eats them non-stop for about three weeks until they're gone.
The first year I was in Japan I asked if kaki (the Japanese word for persimmon) is available at other times of the year. The answer was no. You can preserve them by drying, but that's all. I asked if people made kaki jam. The answer was no. I asked why. No one seemed to have an answer. This happened for three years, then I finally thought, "Oh! I can check on the Internet..." (Yeah, it took me three years to think of that...)
As it turns out, you CAN make persimmon jam, so tonight Nozomi & I tried a simple recipe for freezer jam. The recipe listed lemon peel as an ingredient, but we both really like yuzu taste, so we substituted that. We won't know until later exactly how the jam turned out, but a little sample on bread as it was cooling tasted delicious!
So why isn't kaki jam more popular in Japan? I don't know, but just for a moment I thought, "hmm..... a new business opportunity?" On second thought, however, English teaching and music is enough without adding mini persimmon jam factory to the list. Besides, quince season starts in a couple more weeks....